*Official* Australia in India 2023

[Zinzan]

This really has been a horrid series from smith hasn't it? He's had multiple drop catches/no ball dismissals across the series and is still averaging sub 30 without a 50 all series. Expected alot more given the form he was in coming into it.

He's due a series where he doesn't get luck going his way early on, all players have them.

 

[Nintendo]

He is going to have a series where he doesn't get luck early on as well, all players have them.

This Richard guy must be a prophet......

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

This really has been a horrid series from smith hasn't it? He's had multiple drop catches/no ball dismissals across the series and is still averaging sub 30 without a 50 all series. Expected alot more given the form he was in coming into it.

Batting on roads in Australia certainly helps the batting average..

 

[Raz0r6ack]

Axar Patel should be player of the series.

 

[Nintendo]

Batting on roads in Australia certainly helps the batting average..

If smith was English he would just be another Zak Crawley.....

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Australian Test cricketers dismissed in the nineties three times in the same season:

Clem Hill, 1901/02
Michael Slater, 1993/94
Simon Katich, 2009/10
Shane Watson, 2009/10
TRAVIS HEAD, 2022/23

#INDvAUS

First 90 years of Tests only two such instances , last 13 years three occasions wow .

 

[IcarianStyles]

This really has been a horrid series from smith hasn't it? He's had multiple drop catches/no ball dismissals across the series and is still averaging sub 30 without a 50 all series. Expected alot more given the form he was in coming into it.

It's pretty evident Steve Smith's prime has been long gone since 2019 Ashes. No longer scoring 1000 runs+ with a 70+ average in a calendar year like in 2014-2017.

 

[ashley bach]

Honest question, what was wrong with the pitches in the first two games? They looked like challenging but entirely fair Test pitches to me.

I like watching cricket, 2-3 days per test is seriously getting ripped off.
Seriously though, yes they were challenging and true that was the interesting factor, but any match that is overwhelmingly dominant for either the
batsman or bowlers is not my idea of a great test. We've gone from average first innings scores of 150 to 550.
Somewhere in the middle of that, where there's something for the bowlers to work with make for better test matches.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

I like watching cricket, 2-3 days per test is seriously getting ripped off.
Seriously though, yes they were challenging and true that was the interesting factor, but any match that is overwhelmingly dominant for either the
batsman or bowlers is not my idea of a great test. We've gone from average first innings scores of 150 to 550.
Somewhere in the middle of that, where there's something for the bowlers to work with make for better test matches.

The New Zealand vs Sri Lanka test match that concluded today in terms of balance between bat and ball , I don't think you can get much better

 

[Shady Slim]

I like watching cricket, 2-3 days per test is seriously getting ripped off.
Seriously though, yes they were challenging and true that was the interesting factor, but any match that is overwhelmingly dominant for either the
batsman or bowlers is not my idea of a great test. We've gone from average first innings scores of 150 to 550.
Somewhere in the middle of that, where there's something for the bowlers to work with make for better test matches.

tbf aside from the mickey mouse pitch from the last test most low scores in india from touring sides are not explicable by india doing bad pitches, rather just because their bowlers are so damn good and overseas touring teams from WANGS countries are, well, not...

 

[Nintendo]

I like watching cricket, 2-3 days per test is seriously getting ripped off.
Seriously though, yes they were challenging and true that was the interesting factor, but any match that is overwhelmingly dominant for either the
batsman or bowlers is not my idea of a great test. We've gone from average first innings scores of 150 to 550.
Somewhere in the middle of that, where there's something for the bowlers to work with make for better test matches.

The first two tests weren't overly dominating for the bowlers though. AUS made 270 in the first dig in the second test and India made the same, and AUS where 70/1 or whatever at the end of day 2, they just **** the bed.

First test was fine aswell, it was just hard to bat on on day 1, that had been the trend from the FC cricket played earlier in the Indian season there aswell. India made 400 then AUS collapsed in the 3rd dig, deck was still fine for batting. FFS shami nearly made a 50 just before Aus got rolled in the 1st test.

Pitch evaluation shouldn't come down to this kind of thing anyway. We have Hawkeye data that tells us how much each ball is misbehaving, the ICC really should use that.

 

[Spark]

I like watching cricket, 2-3 days per test is seriously getting ripped off.
Seriously though, yes they were challenging and true that was the interesting factor, but any match that is overwhelmingly dominant for either the
batsman or bowlers is not my idea of a great test. We've gone from average first innings scores of 150 to 550.
Somewhere in the middle of that, where there's something for the bowlers to work with make for better test matches.

Neither of those pitches were 150 first innings pitches though. Australia made 260 on Day 1 at Delhi and the consensus here was that it was slightly below par (though plenty competitive), and it's pretty obvious that they really **** the bed at Nagpur - India did make 400 after all.

Had Australia batted well on those pitches with their first choice lineup, 300+ in the first innings should have been possible in both Tests. You can't call it a bad pitch when the visiting lineup can claim that. That they didn't reach that speaks both to how good Ashwin and Jadeja are and how much the Australian batting missed the mark in the first half of the series.

 

[Xix2565]

I like how batters get **** for being useless vs seam/bounce but the pitch gets **** for them being useless vs spin.

 

[Molehill]

tbf aside from the mickey mouse pitch from the last test most low scores in india from touring sides are not explicable by india doing bad pitches, rather just because their bowlers are so damn good and overseas touring teams from WANGS countries are, well, not...

Well there was the pink ball, lights, Axar fiasco too.

 

[social]

Smith lucky ****

First Chance career average of 12 according to Richard.

Is that loon still bothering God?

 

[Xix2565]

Well there was the pink ball, lights, Axar fiasco too.

NZ meanwhile hoping no one noticed how they got smashed for 62 by pace and spin after Ajaz slogged to take all 10 wickets.

 

[Molehill]

Neither of those pitches were 150 first innings pitches though. Australia made 260 on Day 1 at Delhi and the consensus here was that it was slightly below par (though plenty competitive), and it's pretty obvious that they really **** the bed at Nagpur - India did make 400 after all.

Had Australia batted well on those pitches with their first choice lineup, 300+ in the first innings should have been possible in both Tests. You can't call it a bad pitch when the visiting lineup can claim that. That they didn't reach that speaks both to how good Ashwin and Jadeja are and how much the Australian batting missed the mark in the first half of the series.

Agreed, nothing wrong with first 2 pitches at all. Just outlined that India have the superior skills on these types of pitches, but it wasn't impossible. The 3rd Test was a pitch I'm sure the Indians didn't want.

 

[social]

If smith was English he would just be another Zak Crawley.....

While averaging 60 at home

 

[Sunil1z]

Agreed, nothing wrong with first 2 pitches at all. Just outlined that India have the superior skills on these types of pitches, but it wasn't impossible. The 3rd Test was a pitch I'm sure the Indians didn't want.

They got overconfident a bit . They hoped that Australia won’t put up fight after defeat in 1st 2 Tests .

 

[ashley bach]

Thanks for the responses guys, you all make excellent points.
Guess I'm still living in the thoughts of that English tour a couple years ago, where each test lasted about 2 days.

Edit: @Spark @Shady Slim @Nintendo